City council bill would ban cashless stores in Philadelphia

Published February 05. 2019 05:34AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Members of the Philadelphia City Council are considering a bill that would ban cashless stores.

Democratic Councilman-At-Large William Greenlee, who introduced the bill, says he thinks cashless businesses can discriminate against people who may not have a bank account. Philly.com reports the council’s Committee on Law and Government is scheduled to hold a hearing on the proposal Tuesday morning, where members could vote to advance the bill for full City Council consideration.

The bill would prohibit retail locations from refusing to accept cash or from charging cash-paying customers a higher price and would not apply to transactions made by phone, mail, or online. Violators would face fines under the bill.